Friday, August 21, 2015

Studies using a spectrophotometer have shown that bird plumages include subtle gradations of color and ultraviolet that are invisible to the human eye. Among other findings, 92% of birds that appear to have the same plumage for both sexes are actually dimorphic, and Yellow-breasted Chats have a mix of yellow and ultraviolet on their breasts.

Monarch butterflies may not be as badly off as it seems since counts in their wintering grounds in Mexico do not account for the entire population. Seven new articles look at alternate indicators of population trends.